


Water Under The Bridge

by i (magic), languageismymistress



Series: Water Under The Bridge [1]
Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-01 23:34:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14531802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magic/pseuds/i, https://archiveofourown.org/users/languageismymistress/pseuds/languageismymistress
Summary: Snapshots





	1. Don't Do Something Stupid

Mindless chatter and technological beeps were the constant sound of the Ops center. Papers filed and feet running and walking always accompanied the sounds. A symphony that would be there anthem if they were to have a TV show or movie about them. The small compound which Hetty promise was to improve their team work, Deeks calls lies on that, was the meeting point for the agents each morning and the farewell for the partners at night. They came in as partners, worked as agents and left as partners once more. For Deeks and Kensi, they were taking their time with their recent engagement. Sam and Callen, it was muscle memory, something perfected years ago. 

 

Three of them met in the centre of their desks, chatting about nothing before they headed to work in time with Eric’s whistle. Kensi talking about late night TV with Callen, Sam watching his partner relax into the atmosphere around him, his heart sighing at the calm look crossing Callen’s face. The discussions come to a halt with Deeks sliding into the work space, a grin on his face that made Kensi roll her eyes.

 

“I mean this in the nicest way possible, your son is about to get himself killed,” Deeks pointed to where Eo, Sam and Callen’s adopted boy, was leaning against a post near Hetty’s desk, talking to Ripley, Hetty’s goddaughter. 

 

Sam prayed that their boy had common sense and didn’t say something stupid. 

 

“Please don’t say anything stupid,” Callen peered around his husband, watching their son move on the spot. A nervous trait he picked up from Sam.

 

“Nervous movement,” Deeks commentated.

 

“Raised eyebrow,” Ripley’s eyebrow raises challenged those of Hetty.

 

“In for the kill,” Sam shook his head.

 

Ripley cocked her hip to the side, flicked her hair over her shoulder and lent in to whisper something into their son’s ear. Eo taking two steps back, turning and walking straight towards them. The four of agents not bothering to hide their intrigue. The fathers blocking Eo before he could make his escape.

 

“So, how did it go?” Sam, bless his heart, tried to sound hopefully. 

 

“No game,” Callen did not at all.

 

Eo looked at them, then towards his aunt and uncle, a small shiver creeping over his hand and back.

 

“She said something that made it clear I need to step back,” something about his son’s posture didn’t sit well with Sam. 

 

Eric’s whistle cut off the rest of their conversation, Eo taking the whistle to sneak away from anymore integration. 

 

“Anyone else think that’s the last of it?” Deeks looked, the three already knowing the answer.

 

“Not at all,” Callen clapped Deeks on the shoulder, heading up the stairs.

 

“What he said,” Sam nodded up to his husband, getting a wink back. 

 

Shaking his head, he followed Kensi up the stairs, really praying that their son didn’t do anything more stupid that would end up with him dead.


	2. Family Heals Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Take on NCIS:LA episode Spiral

The sterile stench of hospitals and white crisp clean walls never failed to send a shiver down Rose’s spine. She hated them with every fibre in her body. The squeaks of the nurses shoes, the soft voices of comfort to those who had lost everything. If she went to Hell, this is what it would look like, minus her brother sprawled out over three chairs and her father pacing in front of her other father’s room. They weren’t allowed in yet, the doctors wanting to make sure that all of the toxin was out of his body before he had visitors. None of them cared, all they wanted was to be by Callen’s side, hoping for him to wake any moment. Any more time pacing and Sam was going to start marking up the white plastic tiles. 

 

“You can see him now,” Rose stood, blood rushing to her brain at the fast movement. 

 

Eo dropped to the ground, his phone falling with him from where he had fallen asleep midway his talk with Ripley. Smiling down at her older brother, Sam ushered them both in, his finger to his lip, their father still out of it at the moment. Eo grabbed the plastic chair from the corner for Sam, taking seat on the floor next to it. A small spot was left on the bed, her father minding her mind, or watching her eyes never leave the spot.

 

“He will probably appreciate your cat-like tendencies,” Eo laughed, Rose kicked him a little, crawling onto the bed to nap next to her father, needing to hear his heartbeat aloud. 

 

“Sleep, I’ve got the three of you,’ Sam whispered, Rose fading to sleep.

 

Chatter and laughter woke her, an arm keeping her from dropping off the bed.

 

“Good thing I’ve still got my reflexes,” Callen looked down at her, Rose not being able to stop the tears from her eyes. 

 

Clinging to her father, she barely left any room for the others to join in. She didn’t care, all she knew was that her father, their Callen, was alive and that was all that mattered.

 

“Don’t do that again,” she mumbled into his neck.

 

“Agreed,” Sam sat on the left of the bed, Eo to the right, all tackling the pair into a tight family hug.

 

“As much as I love this, I need to breathe guys,” Rose refused to let go, moving to the side, keeping her hand entangled with her dads. Eo ruffling her hair, Sam holding to Callen like he was his only lifeline. 

 

Looking at the love between her father’s, Rose swore that they really were each other’s only chance of survival, of life. 

Each other’s lifeline.


	3. Surprise??

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eo and Ripley announce a surprise to their family

Peace and quiet was all that Ripley was after and the kitchen seemed to be the only place that she could find that in her godmothers home. Outside her parent-in-laws chatted to her adopted father and Kensi. Her other adopted father had managed to put himself in a state running between the table set up on the deck and the kitchen that he sat on the lounge chair ‘resting’ between snores. Two arms wrapped around her stomach, pulling her flush against someone’s chest. 

 

‘You better be my husband otherwise he will not be overly impressed,’ the kiss to her shoulder gave her the answer.

 

‘Ready to tell them?’ 

 

She shrugged, guessing it was like taking off a Band-Aid or getting shot, better to just get it over and done with then leave it to linger. 

 

‘Okay, let’s go,’ 

 

Ripley links her fingers with Eo’s, needing all the support she can get even though it’s their news. Everyone seemed to have congregated around the table during Ripley’s minor freak out, her father’s chatting to Deeks and Kensi about their wedding. Callen and Hetty threatening a re-match in the hand wrestle that still haunts Sam to this day. 

 

‘Hey guys, before we eat, we’ve got some news to tell you,’ Eo shushed them all.

 

Ripley felt her cheeks redden under their gazes.

 

‘You’re pregnant,’ Kensi joked.

 

Neither of them denied.

 

‘Kid?’ her father looked at them both. 

 

Callen stood, Sam trying to hold back any form of emotion until it was confirmed or denied.

 

‘Twelve weeks and counting,’ 

 

Sam looked like he was going to faint. Callen had Eo and Ripley in a hug before either of them could prepare for it. Callen let go quick as though they had burned him, his face pure joy.

 

‘Congrats kiddo,’ her dad whispered into her ear. 

 

Hetty wiped away the few tears that leaked down her cheeks. So this is what brought the infamous tough woman undone, a small child growing in her goddaughter stomach. 

 

Sam patted Eo on the back before gripping him into a hug that looked like Eo’s air flow was soon to be cut off. Ripley prepped herself for the same only to get a small kiss to the top of her head instead. 

 

‘Sit kid,’ Callen pulled a chair back, putting a cushion behind her back. Deeks grabbed her legs, resting them in his laps. He flicked at her ankle twice, a reassurance check that he used to do whenever he babysat her, she just nodded back. 

 

‘Can’t hurt that baby of yours,’ Sam whispered. 

 

Eo lent back on his hands resting on the table, a gran creeping over his face. Ripley knew that grin, she usually loved it, now she was hating it with a passion. 

 

This is going to be much worse then she first thought. It wasn’t Eo who was going to be overprotective, it would be his parents.


	4. It's just me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ripley and Sam talk whilst Eo is recovering from an injury

Ripley hated hospitals. The mindless droning of nurses, the beeping and scraping of machines. If given the chance between a hospital and a shoot off with no weapons, she would rather fight than be stuck here in a plastic chair. People would come in and check over Eo, change his bandages and read his pressure. The smell of coffee drew her attention away for his resting body towards Sam holding two cups in his hands. 

 

‘Thought you might need it given the lack of sleep you have gotten recently,’ 

 

His grin reminded her of Eo’s, the more she hung out with his dad’s, the more traits she started to notice. 

 

‘Thank you,’

 

The paper cup warmed her chilled hands, the air conditioning in this place was set so low that even penguins would be needing woolly jumpers to survive. 

 

‘How is he doing?’ 

 

Sam knew the answer, she knew Sam knew the answer, he was there every time the doctors made progress or it was stagnant as it was now, still, she appreciated the chatter. 

 

‘Doing, the asshole really knows how to drag out the little things,’ she scoffed, ‘ gets shot, survives and quotes Black Panther, gets stabbed, pulls the dagger out and continues running, but survives and explosion that he instigated and here he is lying in wait like he is waiting for the perfect moment to wake like the little dramatic asshole he is,’ 

 

Sam laughed, the weariness starting to take its toll on him.

 

‘Sam, sleep, I’ll watch over him,’ 

 

‘It’s you I am worried about,’ 

 

She raised her eyebrow but said nothing, she swore that Sam could hear her heartbeat from the other side of the bed. 

 

‘You know when you have a partner and things are good, like you know how they move and think and run and on the field you know, no matter what, your six is covered,’ Sam nodded for her to continue, ‘right, but then off the field, you start getting these feelings and fluttering and you feel like all of a sudden you want to spend more time with them, thinking it as friends but then things change and you look at them and all of a sudden everything changes, the way the light hits their face, the small crinkle they get when they smile, it’s like everything you thought you knew about them, and yourself, is different and it’s terrifying and exciting,’ she trailed off, staring at Eo’s sleeping body. 

 

‘I was like that with G, one moment we were partners on the field and the next it was like a bomb went off, everything I thought I knew was out the window and he, he managed to weave himself into my life without me knowing,’ Sam chuckled. 

 

‘How did you go from partners to well, partners?’ 

 

Ripley played with the frayed pieces of paper falling from her brown cup, the coffee long forgotten about and cold.

 

‘We talked after I nearly died,’ 

 

Sam stood, giving his son’s hand a small quick squeeze before leaving her alone.

 

‘Right, talk after near death,’ she looked over the room, fully alone, ‘you better not die Eo, not when we are this close to being,’ she struggled for a moment, ‘being something more than friends, I want to be able to wake up with you in the mornings, not just on missions, I want you to want to hold my hand and be free and happy and tell me I look pretty when I am about to murder a man,’ she ignored the steady beep from the machine above her head, ‘please wake up and live, I need you, idiot, more than I thought I ever would,’ 

 

She wiped the tear from her eye, leaning her forehead against his hand. The beeping continuing the steady flow, matching the beats of her heart. 

 

‘Damn Rip, if this is what it takes to get a confession out of you, I should nearly die more often,’ 

 

Ripley cut off the scream making its way up her throat. She peered up at his dazed face and small grin. 

 

‘Or you could not die and we could just talk like normal people do,’ 

 

She moved to the edge of the bed, holding his hand in her own as though she needed a reminder that this was not a dream. 

 

‘Or like what couples do,’ 

 

Eo tried to sit up, Ripley rolled her eyes at the puppy look she gave him, caving in to help him with pillows behind his back. Before she could move back to her seat, Eo caught her wrist, cupping the side of her cheek. 

 

‘Ripley,’ 

 

She froze. 

 

Eo looked her straight in the eyes, no lie could get pass either of them, not when they are this close to each other.

 

‘Hi,’ Eo whispered. 

 

‘Hey,’ she managed to stutter out.

 

Eo brushed his lips against hers, Ripley froze again, holding her breath. 

 

‘Breath Rip, it’s just me,’ 

 

‘And us,’ 

 

Both turned their heads towards the door, Callen and Sam stood with grins on their faces, Rose hiding her face behind a bunch of flowers. 

 

‘As cute as this is, can you not kiss my bro in front of me?’ 

 

‘Sorry Rose, I will leave you guys with him,’ 

 

Ripley’s cheeks were hotter than the coffee Sam had brought her before. Nodding to the three of them, she looked over at Eo, giving him a quick wink. Biting her lip at the wink back, she left the small room, feeling a smile spread across her face.


End file.
